And on Thursday, Aldo Group announced that it would be acquiring Vince Camuto, a millennial-favorite shoe brand (whose founder also created the Nine West brand). Aldo, with its 3,000-plus global store locations, has been able to buck the downward spiral of many of its mall-brand counterparts (that includes Nine West). They've been seeking additional growth opportunities, and this acquisition will give them distribution across many new doors (both online and offline). The deal amount hasn't been disclosed.

A LOVE-HATE RELATIONSHIP

While private equity firms have saved plenty of retailers from the edge of bankruptcy, the fraught relationship between the two has come into clearer focus with the ongoing retail market turmoil. With PE firms wanting their returns in a maximum of 5-7 years, the pressure on retailers to right the ship, so to speak, can be insurmountable. Or put differently, the short amount of time and cost pressures can make investing in intiatives that could help turn the business around difficult to execute. Retail Dive talks about what happens when the priorities of PE and retail are mismatched.